Book now: inspiring short-break holiday ideas

Ideas for short breaks, from literary events in Brighton, to spirited
celebrations in Boston.

The Brighton Festival takes place in MayPhoto: PHOTOLIBRARY

By Jolyon Attwooll

8:00AM GMT 05 Mar 2011

Brighton Festival

Bookings for the Brighton Festival (May 7-29), which offers dance, theatre, literary events, contemporary and classical music, opened earlier this week. This year’s guest artistic director is the Burmese politician Aung San Suu Kyi, who takes a post previously held by Anish Kapoor and Brian Eno (although Mrs Suu Kyi is not expected to attend the festival). One likely highlight is apt, given her appointment: Beethoven’s epic opera Fidelio is about freedom and imprisonment and will play at the Brighton Concert Hall on May 8 (tickets from £12.50). Other in-demand tickets are for a Melvyn Bragg talk (Charleston, May 25, £12) on the enduring impact of the King James Bible, and Article 19 (May 21, £10), a debate on free speech with Julian Assange (live or on screen, presumably depending on extradition proceedings). Book tickets on 01273 709709, via the website (www.brightonfestival.org) or email tickets@brightonfestival.co.uk. Tickets for the city’s fringe festival (May 7-30; www.brightonfestivalfringe.org.uk) are also on sale.

The Musée d’Orsay is holding an exhibition (April 5-July 3, €10) on Edouard Manet, who is often credited with having shaped the artistic transition from Realism to Impressionism. Grandly titled “The Man Who Invented Modern Art”, it is the first show devoted exclusively to the artist in France for almost 30 years. Eurostar tickets from London St Pancras to Paris are available from £69. One package deal worth considering is through Travelzest (0800 171 2160; www.travelzest.com), which offers two nights’ bed and breakfast at the Hotel Résidence Les Gobelins (on the Rive Gauche), return travel by Eurostar and exhibition tickets from £226 per person in April.

Boston is a high-spirited place on St Patrick’s Day. A packed schedule of events, from Irish plays to folk music, culminates in a parade on south Boston’s main boulevard on Sunday March 20. Trailfinders (0845 058 5858; trailfinders.com) offers a return flight from London from £360. If Boston’s too far to go at short notice, consider Dublin, the city we will be featuring in our lnsider’s Guide next Saturday (March 12).